This short incredible video of a mother polar bear and her cubs emerging from a winter den site in Wapusk National Parc near Churchill, Manitoba. This short clip highlights the vitality of the cubs and fresh look on the world they have during their first exposure. Nothing much else to say about this priceless look into the polar bear’s world!
Visit Churchill and see these amazing polar bear families up close and personal!
Having spent over ten years of guiding Churchill Arctic summer trips, I have many fond memories of the time spent there and frequently remember stories from those days out on the tundra of the Churchill region and water of the Hudson Bay. Many of the incredible events were not captured by camera though some were and are really just a bookmark of a greater story. Here are a few photos I did mange to get and I hope you enjoy them!
A beluga whale popping out from the Churchill River near the mouth where visibility is amazing. Steve Selden photo.
Grain vessel awaits docking at the Port of Churchill. Photo Steve Selden
Tundra swans on shallow lake. Ed Bouvier photo.
Sea North 2 on the Churchill River looking for belugas. Photo Rhonda Reid.
Polar bear in Button Bay. Steve Selden photo.
Fossil hunt on the beach in Churchill, MB. Steve Selden photo.
Wildflowers on the tundra in Churchill. Steve Selden photo.
Pisew Falls near Thompson, Manitoba. Steve Selden photo.
I recently ventured back to Churchill, Manitoba for a week to help with set-up and installation of Natural Habitat’s new Aurora Pod. The project was finally nearing the end of a long process of design, production and delays and now came the time to test it all out. The time to see if all the work was worth the effort.
Natural Habitat’s Aurora Pod. Brad Josephs photo.
Upon arriving in Churchill and driving out to the proposed pod-site, just above the rock quarry across from the airport along the Hudson Bay coast, I knew immediately this was the place for the pod. Not a doubt.
The stillness in the frigid air froze me in my tracks as I stood just above the quarry and looked over the solid ice – packed Hudson Bay. The endless slab of ice extended north as far as I could see. To the east the Canadian shield rolled down to the edge of the rocky coast peaking through the snow where wind had whipped it clean. Stunted spruce with one – sided branches dotted the surface across the tundra and rock covered surface.
Northern lights above the boreal forest behind the Aurora Pod in Churchill. Justin Gibson photo.
Behind the pod and extending quite a distance to the west along the upland coast was a sturdy stretch of boreal forest holding fast like a battalion of soldiers guarding the bay. On my last day in Churchill I borrowed a friend’s snowshoes and made my way through the powder encrusted spruce pillars and found a wonder world of snowy silence. I worked my way through the heavy snow and came across fairly fresh wolf tracks winding their way back towards the quarry and westward along the coast. As I followed them with trepidation, I had the thrill of hoping to see the maker of these tracks and fear of doing so all at once. Eventually I turned back and left them as they disappeared over the snow covered rocky edge.
I stood one more time taking in the entire scene of boreal forest, rocky Precambrian shield and vast ice covered Hudson Bay all under a clear blue sky. As my nose hairs froze for a last time, I soaked it all in with pure pleasure. The sensation was incredible…one in all the years of working in Churchill I seemed to take for granted after some time.
Snow encrusted trees near the Aurora Pod. Brad Josephs photo.
A couple of days earlier I had joined photographer and former operator/ owner of Sea North whale watching tours Mike Macri on a ski – do trip across the frozen Churchill River to make a last visit to his rustic cabin. Hidden in the woods, just up river and about halfway between Churchill River and Button Bay, the journey was beautiful. Mike’s selling his last couple of pieces of property and heading east to Ontario with his wife to fish and retire to some extent. It was a great way to say goodbye to one of the last pieces of the original Churchill puzzle. As we sat in the cabin warming our toes by the wood stove, eating cookies warmed by the same fire and drinking hot tea, few words were spoken. Sometimes silence says it all. Old friends saying goodbye…though hopefully not forever.
After I returned home I realized that I had taken a trip back, not only physically but consciously, to a place where I have spent a substantial part of my life. Sitting around the “local” table in Gypsy’s restaurant listening to the stories and dialogues between people I remember from long ago reminded me why I fell in love with this place to begin with. Churchillian’s speak their mind ( sometimes with some pretty flowery language) and are very real. Those qualities separate places from the vast majority of towns in the world today.
Come find your inner spirit in the incredible natural beauty of the Churchill region!
Polar Bear season is still six months away and polar bears for the most part are enjoying a bountiful seal hunting season out on the ice of the Hudson Bay before finding their way back to the familiar shores of the rocky Hudson Bay.
This array of polar bear photos highlights various behavior during the season of October and November. When you visit Churchill during prime season you can witness first-hand all the different interactions at once if you have a bit of luck.
Enjoy these magnificent polar bear images from the tundra of Churchill!
Sparring bears captured up close with a telephoto lens. Brad Josephs photo.
Two coy frolick in the willows. Colby Brokvist photo.
Polar bear sow and cub in the Hudson Bay. Stephanie Fernandez photo.
Polar bear explores a polar rover with awed travelers on board. Brad Josephs photo.
Coys nursing in the CWMA. Eric rock photo.
Chillin in the snow. Colby Brokvist photo.
Polar bear sniffing at the window. Brad Josephs photo.
Alex DeVries – Magnifico’s unique look at the Ithaca shipwreck and Miss Piggy are exceptional creative images. Although these have been extensively photographed over the years, these perspectives and darkness give them a completely different feel. The northern lights also are are amazing as they have been all month in Churchill. Northern lights season is coming to an end with aurora continuing to shine in the Churchill skies.
Ithaca shipwreck in Hudson Bay ice. Alex De Vries Magnifico photo.
Ithaca shipwreck in the Hudson Bay pack ice. Alex De Vries – Magnifico photo.
Miss Piggy under the northern lights. Alex De Vries – Magnifico.photo.
Northern lights over the boreal forest with moon. Alex De Vries Magnifico photo.
Capture your own northern lights photos in Churchill with Natural Habitat Adventures!
This short documentary by Richard McManus highlights the amazing wildlife inhabiting Churchill region. The fall polar bear season is packed with various interactions between polar bears including sparring and nursing young. The other animals inhabiting the region are more visible at this time of year.
Polar bear near the Tundra Lodge. Colby Brokvist photo.
This concise and informative look into the world of the polar bear is a great primer on life in Churchill and the Arctic regions of the high north. Enjoy!
Join Natural Habitat next fall for a look into the mighty polar bear’s world in Churchill!
